Chi Kim named Chair, Joe Gaudino named Clerk, and Isaiah Davis welcomed as newest member
YouthBuild Global, the headquarters for the YouthBuild movement, has announced changes to the leadership slate of its Board of Directors and welcomed a new member. All three appointments will deepen the global nonprofit’s work to unify and partner with an expansive network of YouthBuild programs around the world, championing opportunity youth as they achieve their ambitions and reach their full potential.
Chi Kim has been named chair of the Board, having served on the body since 2021 — and as its clerk since 2022. An education leader with a distinct focus on mental and physical well-being, Kim is the CEO of Pure Edge, Inc., a private operating foundation dedicated to supporting educators and learners promoting resilience and human flourishing. She has served as a school superintendent, principal, teacher, and leadership coach, as well as a program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Kim is also a 2018 Pahara-Aspen education fellow, board chair and trustee of the IBIS GROUP nonprofit board, and a member of the FECOP and FairVote Board of Directors. She sits on the advisory councils of More Perfect, Wayfinder, ALLready, and UCSF Dyslexia Center. Kim earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from UCLA. She lives in Greater Boston with her family.
Joe Gaudino has been elevated to clerk of the Board, having served on the body since 2022. Gaudino is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he brings over 15 years of experience in public accounting. He specializes in the asset and wealth management sector, advising leading asset managers, institutional investors, and endowments across private and public markets. In addition to his work with YouthBuild Global, he previously served on the Massachusetts Council of Champions for Citizen Schools, supporting mentorship-based learning initiatives for historically underserved students. Gaudino holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Rochester and a master’s degrees in business administration and accounting from Northeastern University. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his family.
Isaiah Davis, a human resources leader and business executive, brings more than two decades of experience to the Board as its newest member. As vice president of human resources at Grainger, a broad line distributor of maintenance, repair, and operating products, Davis partners with senior executives to align talent strategies with business priorities, build high-performing teams, and lead organizational change with empathy and precision. Before joining Grainger, he held various leadership positions within retail distribution at companies such as Target and Toys R Us. He also served as a finance officer in the U.S. Army, which included a tour of duty in Iraq. Davis earned his bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and a master’s degree in business administration from Texas Christian University. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with his family.
The YouthBuild Global Board of Directors consists of 14 dedicated individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including YouthBuild alumni and program directors. Collectively, the Board has relevant expertise in the fields of public policy, research, financial management, law, advocacy, nonprofit management, corporate management, housing, youth development and community economic development.
“Chi, Joe, and Isaiah each bring a deep commitment to the YouthBuild movement, and we are thrilled to have them in these roles,” said John Valverde, president and CEO of YouthBuild Global. “Their expertise — from education and finance to talent strategy — strengthens our ability to support our program leaders as they serve as a beacon, a resource, and an example of how to create a world that works for more opportunity youth.”
In YouthBuild programs, young people who are out of school and out of work reclaim their education, gain job skills and credentials, and become leaders in their communities. Within the opportunity youth population, YouthBuild primarily serves young people who lack a high school diploma and financial resources. These young people are in greatest need of access to the tools to succeed, and they are our greatest source of untapped potential to bolster economic mobility and transform the world. In YouthBuild’s environment of love, respect, high expectations, community, and agency, young people overcome barriers and build long-term professional and personal success.
